


Two Plus One Equals Four

by Battlecat_ftw



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Cat, Here Kitty Kitty Challenge, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 12:27:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13613385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Battlecat_ftw/pseuds/Battlecat_ftw
Summary: An afternoon of mischief sends Mickey and Yev off to the emergency Vet to help out their furry friend. Little did the Milkovich boys know their world and hearts would grow twice as large before the day was done.





	Two Plus One Equals Four

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I ever wrote.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who encouraged me and pushed me in the right directions. Julia, without you I think I would have deleted it a few times along the way. I still loved writing it and I had a lot of fun while doing so. (yes, Ursula, I am talking about you when I say „pushed“ - not writing my prompt but making a whole challenge out of it :D - but thank you for everything including being my beta!) 
> 
> Please let me know what you think of it :D
> 
> \- Katharina
> 
> A03 username: battlecat_ftw (no stories yet since this was my first attempt)

“Go! Go! Go! Go!“ Mickey shouted.

He hopped on a bike as well, and took off after his 6 year old son, Yevgeny. They had both just stolen two bikes that had been left out in front of a coffee shop on the north side. Those rich bitches could buy a new bike anytime, but Yevgeny had desperately needed a new one, and since Mickey couldn’t afford one, taking it was the next best thing.

“Yeah, daddy! They can‘t catch us! We’re too fast!“ The little blond boy yelled back.

“Quick, Yev! Don‘t look back! We’re not home yet!“

The closer they got to the South Side, the more Mickey began to relax. The owners of the bikes had stopped chasing them at the “border“ to the South Side. This part of town was way too dangerous for their bougie asses. Yev fell back a bit and Mickey turned around, making sure not to lose track of his little thug.  
  
“Yevgeny, come on! We...“ BAM! Mickey was suddenly thrown from his new bike and landed on the hard ground. “Fuck! What was that?“ Mickey growled, holding his hurting head.

“Daddy, daddy! Is the kitty okay?“ Yevgeny shouted, catching up to his dad.

“The fuck are you talking about. Damn. What was that?“

Mickey looked up and saw his son bending over something he couldn‘t quite identify.

“Dad! Come here! We have to help him! He’s hurt!“ Yev cried out.

Mickey rubbed his eyes in confusion, “Who‘s hurt? What the fuck are you talking about?“

He got to his feet slowly, his head and elbows skinned and throbbing from his fall. As he got closer to his little boy he heard a broken “Meow.”

His son was softly stroking the head of a young kitten, who looked to be just about 6 months old. Its fur was light red and it didn’t seem able to get up.

“Daddy, please, please! Let‘s take him to the vet! We can‘t leave him here, all alone. Daddy, please!“ Yev begged.

Mickey touched his nose, and swallowed a few times. The Milkoviches had owned cats since he was little, and Mickey always had a soft spot for those hairy little gangsters. Cats seemed to do whatever the fuck they wanted and that had always impressed him, even as a 5 year old little Mickey. His pleading son was looking at him with the biggest eyes he had ever seen on him. and disappointing his little man was never his intention. Mickey took out his phone and dialed a number.  
  
“Iggy? Get your ass off the couch and pick us up at the McLauren’s house. Remember? You still owe me for bailing you out of jail last month.“

“What? Fuck you! I am not even wearing pants!“ Iggy protested.

“Iggy! Get your ASS OFF THE COUCH. NOW!“

“Fine“ Iggy mumbled and hung up.

Mickey searched his phone for a vet on the South Side while Yevgeny sat nearby, stroking the cat and speaking softly, “You‘re gonna be okay, Crumbles, I promise!“

Within minutes, Iggy was turning onto the street, stopping right next to them.

“Go. Get in.“ Mickey said to Yevgeny

Mickey put the bikes into the trunk, then helped Yev get buckled up in the back seat. He went back for the kitten, cradling it closely in his arms, then took a seat up front with Iggy.

“Quick. Get us to the vets – address is 1350 E 53rd St.“ Mickey stated.

Iggy looked at the little fur ball in his brothers hands, “The fuck? I just got up off the couch and dressed for this little shit? No way! Ha! What‘s with you, douchebag?“

Yevgeny’s tiny voice came from the back seat “Uncle Iggy, please, Crumbles is hurt! He needs me now!“

Ever since Yevgeny’s mom, Svetlana, had walked out on him two years earlier, breaking his tiny heart, it was impossible for Iggy to say no to his little nephew. “All right, all right. We’re going to the vet.“ he rolled his eyes, making sure Yevgeny wouldn’t see it and drove off.

*knock knock*

“Hey? Someone here? Where the fuck is everyone? Hello?“ Mickey called out.

He was holding the little red fur ball in his left hand, looking all around the front desk and lobby area of the vet’s office, which seemed to be abandoned at the moment. Yevgeny tiptoed over and tried to see over the counter.

“Hey! We have an injured kitty here!“ Yevgeny shouted.

Suddenly the door in the back opened up and a tall red headed man walked out quickly.

“I am sorry. We were finishing up an operation and...“ he stopped short when he caught sight of Mickey for the first time. Both of them stood a few seconds, speechless, taking the other in.

The dark haired man was flabbergasted by the beauty of this man. He had never seen anyone like him. The green eyes, the cute smile, the freckles splashed all over his face, and that absolutely breathtaking body. Mickey was openly gay, at least as much any gay man could be living in Chicago’s South Side, however he had never been one for relationships. Aside from a fling every other month, just to ease the pressure a bit, there wasn’t usually much more he pursued. He wasn’t the flirting type either, nor did he go out of his way to figure out if someone might be gay or not. He knew the places to go when he needed a hook up, and there had never been a need for those stupid questions to be asked.

But at that moment, he couldn’t seem to keep those stupid questions out of his head. He had never been so thrown off his feet by any man’s appearance before. It was as though time stood still for a second, and the way this man had fallen silent, looking back at him left Mickey asking himself all those stupid questions - Could it be he was thinking the same thing?

Yevgeny tugged at his dad’s arm, bringing Mickey back to the situation at hand.

“Excuse me?“ Mickey snapped his fingers to get the red head’s attention, “Are you still there? We got an injured cat over here.“ He said.

The red head snapped out of where ever he was and replied “Uhm, sure. Sorry. I got… uh ...distracted. Never mind. My name is Ian… Gallagher. You can just call me Ian. I’m Dr. Taylor’s assistant.” He finally looked down at the kitten Mickey was holding, “What happened here? How can I help?“

“Ufff“ Iggy snorted and shook his head. The tension was so thick and obvious between the two idiots “I‘m gonna wait in the car.“

Yevgeny looked right up at Ian, and started answering before his dad could “Crumbles had an accident! Can you help him? Is he going to die?“

Ian looked into the little boy’s eyes and replied “We’re going to take a look at him, don‘t worry. So, Crumbles, huh? Have you been here before with your cat, sir?“ he asked, looking back up at Mickey.

“Fuck, don’t ‘sir’ me. My name‘s Mickey. And no. That‘s not our cat. We just want you to fix it ‘cause it got hurt, in...uhm ...an accident.“

“Yeah, my dad hit Crumbles with his stolen bike!“

“Yev!“ Mickey nearly choked. He whispered in his sons ear “We don‘t tell those things to everyone.“ Yevgeny looked at him confused. He thought he could tell anyone BUT the police those things. That’s what he was told, anyway - to show people who the Milkoviches are, and remind them that “you don‘t fuck with a Milkovich,” as his dad and Uncle Iggy often said.

Mickey didn’t know what was happening, or why he cared at all, but he didn‘t want this perfect looking Vet Assistant to know that he had just hit this cat, with a stolen bike.

“Whatever. Can you fix it?“ Mickey mumbled.

“Sure thing, sir...Uh, sorry, Mickey. Please take a seat in the waiting room and we’ll call you up.“

Yev ran off to the room where Ian had pointed them. There were 2 other patients with their people in there – a little bunny in a cage with its little brown-haired girl sitting on the next seat over, and an old dog with his even older owner. Yevgeny started a conversation with the little girl.

“Hey, is this your bunny?“

“Yeah...wanna pet it?“

Mickey took a seat as well, the sound of the two kids talking faded away. All he could think about was the vet’s assistant, ‘Ian,’ and the way he had looked at Mickey when he came through the doors. Mickey wondered, had Ian really looked at him that way, or had he only imagined it? And what was this weird, flippy feeling in his stomach? He had never felt anything like this before and had no idea what was going on.

“Crumbles?“

“Dad. Daaad! That‘s us, come on!“ Yevgeny grabbed Mickey’s hand and pulled him towards the open door. The black haired man snapped out of his reverie immediately and got to his feet.

“Hello, my name is Dr. Taylor. I heard your kitty got hit by a bike? Please, put it on the table and let’s take a look, ok?“

“Is he going to die?“ Yev asked, with a small, broken voice.

“Oh, well, it‘s actually a ‘she‘ little man, and we’re going to do our best! I promise.“ the doctor replied.

Ian, who was standing next to the table to assist Dr. Taylor, ruffled his fingers through Yev’s blond hair, but his eyes went straight to Mickey’s. Mickey once again found himself unable to look away, getting lost in Ian’s green eyes. Ian gave him a reassuring smile, causing Mickey to suddenly look away, a heat rushing up the back of his neck. He swallowed nervously, looking back at the doctor and searching for something to say.

“Please, help her, doc. I didn’t mean to hit the cat. I hope she‘s going to be alright.“ Mickey said cordially, when he finally found his voice.

What the fuck was that? He asked himself! Where was this sweet personality coming from? This Ian guy was getting in his head. Fuck! He stepped back and told Yev to come stand next to him while Ian and the Doc checked over Crumbles.

“All right, sir. Your cat’s left front leg has an open wound that we’ll need to get cleaned up, and she has a few bruises, but other than that she seems like she’s going to be fine in a few weeks. Ian, could you please take it from here? I am going to get on to our next patient.“ The doctor turned to Mickey “Have a good day, sir. And good luck, Crumbles.“ He gave the kitty a little scratch between his ears before leaving the room.

Ian locked eyes with Mickey again, continuing to stroke Crumbles to keep her calm as he began cleaning the wound.

“You’ll need to change her bandages once a day, and also use an antiseptic to wash out the cut.” He noticed Mickey’s face screw up at the idea of cleaning the wounds each day. “Or, you can come here to have it changed, but we would have to charge you.”

Mickey bit at his lip, contemplating the options. He’d have to clean the wounds himself because he couldn’t afford another vet visit.

“I am sure your wife can help you with that.“ Ian added. Yevgeny and Mickey both looked up at him at the same time, the surprised look in their eyes giving more information than they had intended. “Uhm, what?” Ian asked.

“No. No wife.“ Mickey stammers, unable to break the stare between them.

There was an awkwardly long silence between them, before Yev finally replied, “No, daddy likes the boys, not the girls.“

Mickey Immediately looked away from Ian, turning his angry attention to Yevgeny. That wasn‘t the way he had planned this – not that he had had an actual plan. He was just hoping to soak in Ian’s face and body and save that perfect memory to jerk off to later that night. But now Ian must surely know what he’s been thinking. Mickey braced for the worst, expecting things to get weird and uncomfortable between them for sure.

“Oh. Really?” Ian asked, suddenly very interested in what this little man had to say. “I see.“ Ian winked at Yevgeny, easing the tension the little boy must have been feeling after getting that death glare from his dad. Ian’s smile caught Mickey’s eye again… he was gone, truly smitten… it was the most perfect smile he had ever seen, but Ian’s attention stayed fixed on Yev.

So. That was it. Mickey was definitely sure now that there was no interest on Ian’s side.

“Since it‘s not my cat, and I seriously can‘t afford to come here every day, I‘ll think we’re just gonna drop it off at the next shelter.“ Mickey grumbled angrily.

“Nooo. Dad! Please. I wanna keep Crumbles. Don‘t take her away from me! She needs me. Please!“ Yev cried, his little blue eyes filling with tears.

“Don‘t Yevgeny. We’re going!“ Mick snapped back. He reached for the kitty once Ian was done dressing the wound, and headed for the door.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Mickey’s arm and pulled him back. “I… uhm, maybe I could come over to your house after work everyday to change the bandage? I won‘t charge you.“ Ian said quietly.

Mickey ignored Ian’s suggestion and pointed to the door, letting his son know it was time to leave. In one final attempt to keep the kitty for himself, Yevgeny turned around and shouted back at Ian, “We live at 1955 S Trumball Avenue! Please come over tomorrow!“

Mickey scowled at his son, taking a step toward him, but was still caught in Ian’s grip. He pulled his arm away, but Ian held tight, keeping Mickey close. Mustering every ounce of courage he had, Ian took another step closer to him. This time Mickey didn’t try to move at all. Ian leaned forward, his heart beating so loudly he was sure Mickey would hear it, but he didn’t care. He closed the short distance between them, now their noses touching.

Mickey was caught between fight or flight, his own heart pounding inside of him, but he couldn’t seem to move. He was frozen, nose to nose with Ian – then, without warning, Ian closed the last bit of space between them and kissed Mickey quickly on the lips.

Mickey’s stomach flipped again as he caught his breath, still shocked by the unexpected kiss. Suddenly he wasn’t in such a hurry to leave anymore.

“I would love to come by daily, if it‘s okay with you, Mick?“ Ian says quietly, looking into Mickey’s deep blue eyes, and waiting for an answer.

“Sure. Why not, Gallagher. Whatever.“ Ian gave him a soft smile, finally letting loose the grip he had on Mickey’s arm. Mickey rubbed his finger along his lips where Ian’s own lips had just been. He turned to usher his son out the front door, doing his best to act as though he wasn’t floating on air, but before he was out the door, he looked back once more at Ian and smiled.

“Bye Ian!“ Yevgeny called out, as he turned to wave one more time. “Me and Crumbles can‘t wait for tomorrow. Byyye!“

Ian smiled back and replied “I can‘t wait to see the three of you tomorrow, too.“


End file.
